All the doom and gloom that accompanied the losing streak was discarded like torn pieces of wrapping paper.

"Sometimes it's good to get away from the rink and the game," forward Matt Willows said. "Refresh your mind a little bit and come back hungry. Guys were ready to go."

Huntebrinker's goal was the highlight-reel variety.

Willows' pass was deflected into the air. Huntebrinker redirected it with his left hand and swatted it into the net with one motion.

It was a maneuver he usually tries to pull off in the morning, when the seats are completely empty.

"Maybe in practice," Huntebrinker said. "That's definitely something when you're messing around you might try. Probably not in a game. There's a lot of luck there."

The goal came shortly after the Royals had a defensive breakdown and Worcester ripped a shot off the post.

Seven seconds after Huntebrinker scored, Jimmy DeVito added to the lead. Another 6:30 later, Chris McCarthy made it 3-0.

The Royals were outscored 22-8 during their slide and their offensive struggles dated back further. This was just the second time in 16 games they scored more than four goals.

Willows had a goal and two primary assists. Adam Schmidt delivered short-handed and Nolan Zajac scored.

When the Royals visited Worcester last week, they were blanked 1-0.

"With a team that structured, if you don't get the first one it allows them to play the game they want to play," Huntebrinker said. "They're a heavy team. They do a lot of clogging up the neutral zone. It can be a frustrating style to play against."

The Royals underwent several roster changes while they were away.

Goalie John Muse came back after spending most of the month at AHL Lehigh Valley. He made 37 saves and boosted his save percentage to .925.

The Royals worked starter Mark Dekanich hard in Muse's absence and needed a second goalie.

The team's biggest concern, depth on defense, grew even worse. Adam Comrie left for the AHL and Loic Leduc left to play in his native Quebec.

The Royals were forced to use forward Scott Tanski as their sixth defenseman. They signed Tim Boyle, who spent most of the season in the SPHL.

Huntebrinker, a healthy scratch in October, has eight goals in 23 games, is plus-5 and has a compelling case to be Reading's representative in the ECHL All-Star Classic next month.

The first-year pro contributed an All-Star goal Thursday.

"It was just a bang-bang play," Huntebrinker said. "Looking back on it I probably had time to settle it down. Luckily it found a way to get in."